With 2100 square feet of living space, you can have small to large social gatherings without elbows bumping each other. The open floor plan gives everyone involved a chance to engage with friends and family.

Houston has made it to the top of Forbes’ FASTEST GROWING CITIES for 2015. Here are some of the great statistics that clearly need to be celebrated.

The number of people growth in Houston, a combination of moves and births. This number is expected to continue to grow over the next ten years, constantly putting Houston, Texas in the top 5 largest cities in the US.

The number of JOBS to be added in 2015. This number is staggering, for any year. But for Houston, it means a tremendous number of opportunities. If you are exploring a career change or are interested in jumping back into the job market, here is aresourcefor dusting off your resume. With over 15+ years in the corporate environment, she’ll be able to help you create a resume that highlights your credentials.

Here are just some of the jobs that will be opening up.

12 positions at Valero Energy

680 positions at FMC Technologies

250 positions at Mattress Firm

The median salary for oil and gas extraction positions in the greater Houston metro area is a whopping $200,000 per year, according to the most recent Census data.

The number of homes sold in Houston over the past five years, averaging a home-closing rate of 1 every 6 minutes.

Spring time is right around the corner (I know, I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!), and you’re looking around your home for opportunities to upgrade. Doing some homework before heading out to Lowe’s or Home Depot or picking up the phone to call a contractor, will save you a lot of time and headache.

Is it a kitchen over haul? A quick paint job for the half bath? Or are you considering gutting the family room to create new living spaces? I’ve worked with clients that wanted to redo the living room, dining room and kitchen all at once. It’s not impossible but there are pros and cons for such a large job.

So what should you do before launching into a home project? Here are my 3 simple steps:

Prioritize what you want to renovate.

Get quotes.

Let’s prioritize the wish list. How you decide what goes on your top 5 is specific to each family and depends on several variables. For example, are you remodeling to put your home on the market or is it due to your family’s growing needs? Both choices bring a different set of priorities, budget and time.

No matter the reason for remodeling,I suggest you explore thecost vs valuetable to give you an idea whether the project will add value to your home. You can even call me and I’ll work with you to determine how much value the home will have pre and post modeling project in your specific community.

It’s fairly common to begin with one project in mind, only to have it grow into an actual list as you look closely at the different rooms in your home. If your list is growing (and maybe growing out of control), prioritize the list depending on a variety of criteria:duration of project, return on investment, needs, budget,andtimeare some factors to consider.

The excitement you developed for the project will quickly diminish when you find yourself digging through couch cushions to pay the never-ending bills for the project.

Once you’ve prioritized the projects, calling for quotes will help you to establish a realistic budget for the remodeling job. There are many ways to get quotes, and I’ve listed a few here.

Referrals – one of the most common practice is to ask friends and family who they’ve used for their own remodeling projects. You can send a quick email to everyone or, and this IS the 21st century, post your question on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

Yelp– I always appreciate the time Yelp reviewers spend in writing their reviews, so it’s worth some time researching different contractors for personal opinions on the quality of their work.

Better Business Bureauwill give you a heads up if the contractor(s) has been naughty or nice. Formal complaints will give you a sense whether you should pursue them at all.

Googlegets you started in finding contractors in your area. You can use the results of your search to dig deeper using Yelp, BBB and Angie’s List.

Angie’s Listis a paid service that gives you suggestions and feedback from other paid members.

I’m a wildly impulsive person. I am also a huge fan of shows on HGTV, where every home project starts and ends perfectly within a thirty minute episode. The reality is that home remodeling projects can be timely and costly, but with the right pre-planning, you’ll find it quite the pleasant adventure.

As always, I’m here to help you figure it all out. If you have a questions, ask in the comments section or if you would like a more in-depth discussion, feel free to email or call me directly.

I think the internet is a powerful tool to help us become more independent for many parts of our lives. I googled indoor vegetable gardens to find an alternative way to grow my favorite veggies away from the Texas heat, have made several holiday wreaths from instructional guides on Pinterest and of course I get to enjoy reading about other parts of the world for vacation bucket list ideas.

As homeowners become home sellers and as sellers look to buy a new home, the internet can be both helpful and a hindrance as some may think they can apply the same rules as building a garden to buying a home, all on their own. Are you willing to risk losing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to buy a home on your home, not to mention be available to spend many hours conducting research, meeting with lenders, inspectors, and calculating a usually complex world of fees, costs and expenses?

Here are 5 really important reasons why you should use an experienced realtor to buy your dream home.

Home financing

HOME FINANCINGIt wasn’t uncommon back in the day to call up a realtor and ask to see a home you’re interested in. Nowadays a realtor will not entertain such a request until they know you have been approved for the loan.

If you’re house hunting without a realtor, you’ll need to spend quite a bit of time researching and finding local lenders. You probably won’t do business with the first lender you meet, which means you’ll need to interview several to make sure you’re getting the best possible rates you can get.

If you have a realtor, s/he will have a list of local lenders and be your liasion to find the lender that best meets your needs. She will present you with a couple of options and discuss pros and cons.

Sold Home For Sale Sign in Front of New House on Deep Blue Sky

TO BUY, OR NOT TO BUY A HOMEWhat type of home you want, how many bedrooms it should have and the part of town it is in is all up to you. But there’s more to home buying then just picking paint color and window treatments.

If you’re working without a realtor, you will have to do a tremendous amount of work to find out what the inventory is on the market and what type of inventory it is. Are you willing to consider a short sale, foreclosure, etc.

If you have a realtor, she will have access to all of the homes in the community you’re interested in as well as filtering which ones meet your criteria.

NEGOTIATIONSThe housing market is so hot in Houston, there will always be someone else equally interested in a home you’re interested in.

If you are house hunting without a realtor, you’ll be required to sit across from the seller’s realtor and to negotiate all of the different terms, timelines, finance details, etc.

If you have a realtor, she will be a seasoned negotiator and move through the discussions with experience and swiftness. While her goal is to get you the best deal possible, that is the same goal for the seller’s realtor. The ability to refrain from having emotional discussions during this stage of the home buying process will allow for all parties to come out a winner.

INSPECTION & CLOSINGMany deals fall through at the inspection stage. You never know what you have until you start to peel back the layers and during the inspection this is exactly what happens.

If you’re house hunting without a realtor, be prepared to spend the day with a home inspector and worse, be prepared to complete all of the necessary paperwork on your own. And when you arrive to the Closing, are you comfortable talking to the seller’s realtor about closing fees, close rations and, title insurance?

If you have a realtor, she will understand how to negotiate for you should there be a hiccup during the inspection. It can save you thousands of dollars and many headaches. A seasoned realtor will walk you through this stage with as much detail or little detail you need. And since she’s representing you, she has your best interest at heart.